Coastal and marine exposure

Communal entrance doors exposed to salt spray

Communal entrance door on a coastal block showing worn paint around the handle and bottom rail

A block's main entrance door does two jobs a private front door does not: it takes constant handling from every resident, courier and visitor, and on a coastal block it also faces the same salt-laden air as the rest of the exterior. Few finishes are specified with both demands in mind.

Questions we are asked about this

Why does the entrance door need repainting more often than flat front doors?

It combines constant handling from every resident and visitor with full coastal salt exposure, which is a harder combination than either a sheltered private door or an unused external door faces on its own.

Can kick plates be added to protect the paint?

Yes, where wear at the base of the door is already a recurring problem, a kick plate can reduce how often that area needs repainting, though it does change the door's appearance slightly.

Should the door seals be checked at the same time as repainting?

It is worth it, since a worn seal lets in the driven rain and salt air that will undermine new paintwork at the door edge far sooner than it should fail.

Handling wear concentrates in predictable places

Push plates, handle areas and the bottom rail where feet or buggies catch the door wear through paint faster than the rest of the leaf, and on a coastal block that bare timber or metal is then directly exposed to salt air with no protective film left at all.

Handle and push zones identified before specifying, not treated the same as the rest of the door
Bottom rail given extra film build where footwear and buggies make contact
Kick plates considered where wear is already visible on the existing door

Weather seals matter as much as the paint

A communal door held open frequently, or with a worn threshold seal, lets driven rain and salt air reach the door edge and frame in a way a well-sealed private door rarely experiences. Checking and renewing seals alongside redecoration protects the new paintwork rather than undermining it from day one.

A durable system suited to both demands

A tough, washable finish with good UV and salt resistance, applied with extra attention at the handling zones, generally outlasts a standard domestic gloss used out of habit on a communal door that never gets a domestic door's easy life.

How we work on this

We identify handle and push zones on communal doors and treat them differently from the rest of the leaf.
We check weather seals alongside redecoration rather than painting over a door that is still letting in weather.
We specify a washable, salt-resistant system suited to constant handling on top of coastal exposure.